Leaving Long Beach

Ilwaco, Raymond, Grayland, Westport, Aberdeen, Wash. -- Yesterday it rained in the morning and so I spent the day just cocooning in my Mo. I’ve decided it’s my “womb,” my cocoon. The source of my security, my sanctuary while I am waiting for God and bringing to fruition my new life, my true self. So yesterday I read more of my thought-provoking spirituality book and started exploring some of my false selves. One begins to wonder, after awhile, if you have any REAL selves or if all your reality is confused and separated into different personas that help you deal with the hard places. I’ve read about multiple personality disorders and I think we’re all a bit that way, to some extent. Except we have control over our “visitors,” unlike Sybille or Eve. The idea, I guess, is to discover those invaders/interlopers, those false selves, and name them, befriend them, get to know them. And eventually come to terms with whatever wounds caused them to surface. It’s kind of nurturing those really painful parts of our lives and understanding that we don’t really need the help of “others” to get past them and survive.

Karl and Dee and the boys were tentatively planning to spend the weekend but they decided they couldn’t make it. Since the weather cleared off nicely in the afternoon and evening, Charlie and I made a nice fire and roasted a hotdog for him (which intrigued him immensely) and toasted some marshmallows for s’mores for me. I don’t like these lonely nights around the campfire when everyone else seems to be at least coupled, if not in groups of family and/of friends.

After spending so much time dealing with such heavy-duty stuff yesterday, today I decided I needed to get out more. So Charlie and I hopped in the Saturn and headed north this afternoon. We drove to Raymond, then west to the Cranberry Coast and Westport. We made a couple stops to investigate the beach in different places, and walked on the docks at Westport. Salmon fishing derby days, I think. It was very busy. We got home a bit after 7, so we spent probably a good six hours exploring. I guess that’s what I’m thinking will be mode of exploring the country: find a place to park for a day or two and then drive out from there for day trips.

So I’ve spent several days exploring the beaches and byways of the Peninsula here. The other day I picked up about 15 whole sand dollars on the beach between Long Beach and Klipsan Beach. We also saw the remains of what looked like a large harbor seal. The gulls and terns had made short work of stripping most of the meat. I made sure Charlie didn’t get too close.

Today’s journey -- as well as much of this week -- was a bit of a trip down memory lane. My father’s mother grew up in Raymond and had family all over this area. My uncle Duane, her youngest brother, had a house on Willapa Bay just south of Bruceport. That was one of the few places our family ever vacationed. Lots of memories here. I drove by what I’m pretty sure was their house today. Years later John and I took his youngest brothers camping at Twin Harbors State Park just south of Westport when we were much younger. We also had gone deep sea fishing out of Ilwaco just before he left the City of Vancouver and we moved to Pullman. That was the year I caught a 47-pound Chinook and we later got stuck in the sand and were pulled out by a former high school teacher of mine. He apparently owned a fishing boat or was somehow connected to a charter company. The charter company we went out on is no longer in business so no pictures of me and my big fish. Not that I would expect photos to still be around from the mid-70s.

Tomorrow it’s back to Portland for a few final errands before taking the big step and heading east for at least two months. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to drive straight through on 94 or if I will have time to swoop down south and hit Rapid City and the Black Hills/Mt. Rushmore area. Truth be told, I’m just a bit nervous about canoeing the Boundary Waters. I’ve never been a big fan of sleeping on the ground. I don’t have any camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, pad, etc.). I don’t know if I will really like paddling all day or carrying a canoe around. I’m not sure why I decided this was something I needed to do. Besides, I’m really not in very good shape. And I hate mosquitoes. WHAT was I thinking when I suggested to my sister that we do this???

I guess this whole trip is about testing myself and growing, among other things. So I need to be brave and do my best in that self-imposed adversity. For now, though, I’ll enjoy a few more nights in a bed, hot water, electricity, indoor plumbing, etc. I think doing without all those conveniences helps us appreciate them more, and understand how some people in the world live who NEVER have such conveniences.

I do want to explore more the concept of Habitat for Humanity build projects. That would be a good way to meet people as well as doing something constructive with my time while I’m out traveling. But for now I think I’ll go build another nice fire and enjoy my last night on the Longbeach Peninsula.
TravelinLady